The Killers are a band from Las Vegas, started in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning.
“Quiet Town” is a song from their album “Pressure Machine,” released on August 13, 2021.
In the song, Brandon Flowers talks about tragedies that happened in his hometown when he was young, like kids dying in accidents or from drugs. He compares these tragedies with the kindness of the people in the town, wondering why bad things still happen even though the people are good.
In this article, we’ll look deeper into what the lyrics mean.
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“Quiet Town” Lyrics Meaning
[Intro]
Oh yeah, oh no, the train, the train
Every two or three years, the train kills somebody
Every two or three years, yeah
Everybody knows about the train, okay?
You hear it constantly
Eh, I— I think the train is a way to find your way out of this life, if you get hit by it
The intro of the song “Quiet Town” talks about a recurring tragedy involving a train in the area.
Every two or three years, someone gets hit by the train, and it’s a well-known fact among the locals.
The singer reflects on the train as a means of escape from life’s struggles, suggesting that getting hit by it might be a way out.
[Verse 1]
A couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific train
Carrying sheet metal and household appliances through the pouring rain
They were planning on getting married after graduation
Had a little baby girl, trouble came and shut it down
Things like that ain’t supposed to happen
In Verse 1, the lyrics describe a tragic incident where a couple of kids were hit by a Union Pacific train. The train was carrying sheet metal and household appliances through heavy rain.
The kids had plans to marry after graduating, and they even had a baby on the way.
However, their dreams were shattered when the accident occurred, which is portrayed as something unexpected and not supposed to happen.
[Chorus]
In this quiet town, families are tight
Good people, they still don’t deadbolt their doors at night
In this quiet town
The chorus highlights the tight-knit nature of the families in the community.
Despite being good people, they don’t feel the need to lock their doors at night, emphasizing the trust and unity within the town.
The singer reflects on the contrast between the warmth and safety of the town and the tragic events that still occur despite it.
[Verse 2]
When we first heard opioid stories, they were always in whispering tones
Now banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homes
Parents wept through daddy’s girl eulogies
And merit badge milestones with their daughters and sons
Laying there lifeless in their suits and gowns
Somebody’s been keepin’ secrets
In Verse 2, the lyrics discuss the emergence of opioid-related tragedies in the community.
Initially whispered about, these stories have now become more evident with banners of sorrow marking the front steps of childhood homes.
Parents mourn their children through emotional eulogies and milestones, reflecting on the loss of their promising futures.
[Bridge]
Now whenever I’m near the town, I’ll find some reason to give
And I will walk with the dead and the living where I used to live
And every time I see my parents in the prime of their lives
Offering their son the kind of love he could never put down
Well, part of me is still that stainless kid, lucky
The bridge reflects on the singer’s return to the town and his interactions with both the living and the deceased.
He expresses a commitment to giving back to the community and revisits memories of his parents’ unwavering love and support.
Despite the passage of time, he still sees glimpses of his younger self in the town, feeling fortunate for the upbringing he received.
[Outro]
The first crop of hay is up
School let out and the sun beats down
Smoke billows from a Sunday train
That cries away from a quiet town
In the outro, the lyrics describe the transition into summer, with the first crop of hay harvested and school ending.
The scene is accompanied by the sight of smoke billowing from a Sunday train departing from the quiet town.
This imagery suggests a continuation of life’s routines despite the tragedies that have occurred.
Deeper Meaning Behind “Quiet Town”
The song “Quiet Town” by The Killers tells stories about the tragedies that happen in a small town, like train accidents and young people dying from drug addiction.
Flowers, The Killers’ frontman, draws from his personal experience when writing this song. He was in eighth grade, when Tiffany JaNae Taylor and Raymond Leo Newton, both 17 and from Brandon Flowers’ hometown of Nephi, Utah, died in a tragic accident involving a Union Pacific train, in 1994.
The song delves into this heartbreaking event, with Flowers mourning the loss of the two seniors from his high school. He shared with NME that he was deeply affected by the train accident as he wrote the song.
“I had seen one of them that morning. They had a baby. I didn’t go to grief counseling, they weren’t my best friends – but I was just shocked at how emotional I was when I started to write this verse.”
Brandon Flowers collaborated with Jonathan Rado from the rock duo Foxygen to write “Quiet Town”. Rado also co-produced the track with Shawn Everett.
The song begins with a recording of a man noting the recurring deaths in the small town every two or three years due to train crossings, as evident in the line “Every two or three years, the train kills somebody.”
In the chorus, Flowers reflects on the tragedies that have struck the “quiet town,” contrasting them with the generally good and hardworking lives led by its residents, as he sings, “Good people, they still don’t deadbolt their doors at night, In this quiet town.”
The song’s bridge reflects on the singer’s return to the town, where he grapples with memories of the past and confronts the duality of life and death. As the singer reminisces, “And every time I see my parents in the prime of their lives; Offering their son the kind of love he could never put down,” he acknowledges the enduring love and support of his parents amidst the backdrop of the town’s tragedies.
In the end, “Quiet Town” serves as a poignant ode to the complexities of small-town life – a place where joy and tragedy coexist, and where the strength of community prevails in the face of adversity.
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